News

A new poll by the advocacy group Small Business Majority revealed that 65% of African American and 64% of Latina small business owners say access to birth control, and the freedom to decide if and when to have children, has impacted their bottom lines as a business owner.

Some 507 female entrepreneurs were surveyed. The poll offers more perspective on the importance of birth control for women entrepreneurs of color than one done in November 2017. The latest poll found most African American and Latina women say access to contraceptives helped them advance their education, whereas...

How Important Is Access To Birth Control To The Success Of Black Female Entrepreneurs?

03/19/2018

Madame Noire

Topics:

Women's Economic Empowerment

According to a recent poll by advocacy group Small Business Majority, 56 percent of the 507 female entrepreneurs they surveyed confirmed that access to birth control and the opportunity to make the decision when to have children, if at all, permitted them to focus on their careers and businesses.

“The poll, which included oversamples of African-American and Latina small business owners, found reproductive healthcare is especially important to women entrepreneurs,” reported Black Enterprise.

On Tuesday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m., the subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing on 'Expanding Affordable Health Care Options: Examining the Department of Labor's Proposed Rule on Association Health Plans.' Witnesses: Mr. John Arensmeyer, Founder and CEO of Small Business Majority

CalSavers gives Californians a chance at a more secure retirement

03/17/2018

Orange County Register

Topics:

Retirement Security

CalSavers is flexible, customizable automatic payroll contribution program. Employees may set their own contribution levels and access a range of investments. They may also opt out of the program at any time.

CalSavers is supported by AARP, Small Business Majority, UnidosUS, many ethnic chambers of commerce, labor and other groups.

How good is the tax cut for small business? Depends on who you ask

03/15/2018

USA Today

Topics:

Tax and Budget Reform

Six months ago, President Trump vowed that his sweeping tax reform would “bring back Main Street” by slashing taxes on small businesses. Now that the plan is law, small firms’ enthusiasm for the changes depends on which side of Main Street they find themselves. The vast majority of larger small businesses with income upwards of $200,000 will tangibly benefit from the legislation, and many are already sharing their windfall with employees and ramping up capital investment. And while most smaller enterprises will come out ahead as well, their gains are marginal in many cases and advocacy...

Wyden Tax Scam Report Reveals Small Business Owners Are Facing More Uncertainty, Complexity Due To Trump Tax Law

03/15/2018

United States Senate Committee on Finance

Topics:

Tax and Budget Reform

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a tax scam report outlining concerns from small business owners who say Trump’s tax law has created an increase in financial uncertainty.

"This $1.5 trillion hole in the deficit will provide minimal benefit to Main Street small businesses, as the vast majority of the tax law’s rewards will go to large corporations and the shareholders of a handful of wealthy pass-through entities," Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer said. "Republican lawmakers blew a once-in-a-generation...

An exit poll from Public Policy Polling, however, found that healthcare weighed heavily in Democratic candidate Conor Lamb's win over Republican Rick Saccone in the special election for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, with 53% of voters disapproving of the Republicans' efforts to repeal the ACA, versus 39%. The district is considered heavily Republican.

In a separate op-ed published March 14 in The Hill, John Arensmeyer, CEO of the advocacy organization Small Business Majority, said that if nothing is done to stabilize the individual markets, the "...

Congress must stabilize the ACA to stabilize small businesses

It is undeniable that assaults on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will soon lead to massive spikes in health-care premiums, an outcome that will devastate America’s small businesses.

A recent analysis by California’s ACA marketplace, Covered California, estimates premiums would increase anywhere from 35 to 94 percent over the next three years mainly because Congress chose to eliminate the ACA’s individual mandate. When these forecasts come true, it will be particularly harmful for small firms and self-employed business owners. After all, more than 3.7 million small-business employees...

California on verge of creating retirement plan for private-sector workers

03/09/2018

San Francisco Chronicle

Topics:

Retirement Security

For Mark Herbert, California director of the Small Business Majority, that’s not a concern. Polling by his organization and AARP found that two-thirds of small business owners in California support a state retirement-savings program. For small companies, the main barriers to offering a retirement plan are cost, administrative complexity and fiduciary liability under the federal law. “CalSavers solves for all three,” he said.

A Path to Ending Poverty by Way of Ending Unemployment: A Federal Job Guarantee

03/09/2018

Project MUSE

Topics:

Infrastructure

Some employment effects could be overcome by growing evidence indicating that a rise in the minimum wage can reduce job turnover (Dube, Kaplan, and Zipperer 2014) and increase per capita output to the extent that higher wages spur greater productivity (Reich et al. 2016). Reductions in turnover and increases in productivity explain why many small businesses have chosen to invest in higher compensation packages for employees with great success (Ton 2012) and generally support (60 percent) a $12 minimum wage pegged to inflation (Small Business Majority 2015).

How to Avoid the 5 Most Common Pitfalls of Gig Work

03/06/2018

TSHEETS by Quickbooks

Topics:

Retirement Security

When you work for yourself, you know well and good no one is putting away retirement money for you. No 401(k) matching, no HSA savings — nothing. Therefore, it’s paramount you meet with a financial advisor and make a plan for retirement.

According to a Small Business Majority poll, 40 percent of freelancers are not saving enough for retirement. Sixty-nine percent say they don’t make enough to put money in a retirement plan, based on the fact their income varies so widely from month to month.

4 Ways Inequality Hurts Financially

03/05/2018

Forbes

Topics:

LGBT Nondiscrimination

If Amazon chooses an LGBTQ-friendly state, “It will cement Amazon as a leader in LGBT equality and send a strong signal that fully protecting all employees is essential to the bottom line and that states without protections better get on board. More importantly, Amazon employees will be able to work at HQ2 and raise their families in the local community with a sense of security and the knowledge that their employer has their back,” says Chris Fleming, the “No Gay? No Way” campaign spokesperson.

Likewise, Amazon wants the best talent. With more than 20% of Millennials identifying as...

Time to Stop Tax Breaks for Outsourcing

It makes little sense for the U.S. government to provide tax breaks to companies that outsource America's jobs, and yet the recently passed Republican tax law makes the problem worse, it doesn't solve it. That's why Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) are introducing the "No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act."

The legislation already has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, AFGE, AFSCME, the Alliance for Retired Americans, Communications Workers of America (CWA), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE),...

Small Businesses in America: Costly Credit and Growth Challenges

03/05/2018

Wall Street Journal

Topics:

Access to Capital

For small businesses across the country, getting capital to operate or expand can be costly as traditional banks are often reluctant to extend small loans or work with risky new ventures. Enter online lenders, which typically approve loans quickly but also carry high annual percentage rates with tough payback terms. The video also features the Responsible Business Lending Coalition’s Small Business Borrowers' Bill of Rights, a set of lending practices that promotes transparency and fairness in small business lending.

Female Entrepreneurs Of Color Say Access To Birth Control Was “Critical” To Their Success, According To A New Survey

03/03/2018

Bustle

Topics:

Healthcare, Women's Economic Empowerment

Ever wanted to run a small business? Whether it's a blog or a boutique hedge fund, something unexpected may contribute to your success: birth control. At least, that's according to a new survey of 507 female small business owners across the U.S. Female entrepreneurs of color, in particular, were more likely to say access to birth control was "critical" to their success as a small business owner.

And this new survey, from the national business advocacy organization Small Business Majority, shows that, for female entrepreneurs of color, being able to exert...

Birth control access is a staple of female entrepreneurship

03/02/2018

The Mary Sue

Topics:

Healthcare, Women's Economic Empowerment

Birth control access is a staple of female entrepreneurship. As anyone with a functioning brain knows by now, birth control has always been about more than sex, and is also about women’s ability to make the best and safest decisions about their educational and professional advancement. In addition to its health benefits, by safely preventing unplanned pregnancy, women are able to focus on school or pursue opportunities in the workforce that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

On Thursday, Small Business Majority released a survey that found contraceptive access allowed the majority...

On March 1st, a coalition of stakeholders, including Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR), the DC Health Benefit Exchange, the Acting Attorney General of Hawaii, AFL-CIO, Center on Capital & Social Equity, Families USA, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Partnership for Women & Families and the Small Business Majority released a letter calling on the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw or substantially delay the proposed regulation regarding Association Health Plans (AHPs).

Group presses the Labor Department on its association health plan proposal.

03/02/2018

Politico

Topics:

Healthcare

Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute is leading an open records request asking the DOL to release statistics and information about its enforcement of association health plans, as well as past policy and regulation regarding the plans. Mila Kofman, head of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority, Russell Suzuki, Hawaii’s acting attorney general and John Arensmeyer, CEO of Small Business Majority are among the signatories to a letter detailing the request. The group is deeply skeptical of the plans, which have a history of fraud.

The Unexpected Impact Of Birth Control On Female Entrepreneurship

03/01/2018

Forbes

Topics:

Healthcare, Women's Economic Empowerment

A survey released today by Small Business Majority found half of women under 50 say they put off starting a family to focus on their business. Meanwhile, younger women entrepreneurs say contraceptive access has allowed them to advance their careers and focus on starting and growing their businesses.

“Most small business owners’ business finances are tied to their personal finances, which is why access to birth control and reproductive health is so important for women entrepreneurs,” said Vernita Naylor, founder and owner of Jabez Enterprise Group.

Women Entrepreneurs of Color Say Access to Birth Control is Important to their Success

03/01/2018

Mogul

Topics:

Healthcare, Women's Economic Empowerment

A scientific opinion poll released today found women small business owners, especially women of color, say their ability to access birth control has impacted their business’ bottom lines. Meanwhile, younger women entrepreneurs say contraceptive access has allowed them to advance their careers and focus on starting and growing their businesses.

The survey, conducted by Lake Research Partners and American Viewpoint on behalf of Small Business Majority, found 65 percent of African-American and 64 percent of Latina small business owners say access to birth control, and the freedom to...